red. A little later this amber will have become much darker and have a green shade. When this condition is reached the pumps do not clog; the work of applying it is not so objectionable and if the trees be well covered a good result is guaranteed.

As far as we have gone I have discussed this question entirely from the standpoint of a fruit-grower which in your judgment may seem out of place at this meeting. This is the only means I now have of reaching the people and my desire to encourage and assist them must be my apology.

DIVISION No. 5-LONDON DISTRICT. By R. W. RENNIE.

No case of serious injury by insects has been reported to me this season. Of course, we have had all our old enemies with us, but not in larger numbers than usual, excepting probably the Tent caterpillars (Clisiocampa Americana) which appeared in large numbers early in the season, but which seemed to confine themselves mostly to the wild cherry, orchards being comparatively free from them.

One pest, which is ordinarily called "Red Spider," and is quite common in gardens of sandy soil, which also is not very particular as to its food plants, has selected a new one this year, at least it is the first time I have observed them on this plant, namely, the tomato.

About the first of August I noticed one of my tomato plants looking unhealthy, and upon investigation found it had been attacked by these mites: some days afterwards, while walking in the country, I noticed some tomato plants which appeared to be suffering from the same cause, and upon examination such proved to be the case. Several other places were also noticed during the season.

In my own garden the plants attacked did not set any fruit above the second cluster of buds, the leaves curled in tightly, very much like the leaves of the shrub-snowball, when attacked by Aphis, making it almost impossible to apply any remedy.

If the pest should take generally to the tomato, it will mean serious loss to private and market gardeners, as it will be very difficult to apply any remedy in the fields owing to the leaves curling so tightly and the mites being on the inside.

DISCUSSION OF THE DIRECTORS' REPORTS.

In the discussion which followed upon the reading of the Directors' reports, the first subject .taken up was that of the remedies employed for the San Jose Scale.

DR. FLETCHER stated that he had used the lime and sulphur wash after slaking only, without boiling, on Snowballs (Viburnum) for Aphis with good results, but had not tried it for the San Jose Scale.

MR. FISHER said that one great cause of failure with this wash was that the boiling was not continued long enough; the mixture was not fit to use till the green shade appeared. This he had learnt as the result of repeated experiments. In California the boiling process was continued for three hours, but he had obtained the same results in two hours. The most effective mixture was made with the proportions of half a pound of sulphur to one pound

of lime; he intended, however, to use a mixture of equal weights of each. He did not consider it necessary that the wash should remain for any length of time on the trees as he found that the insects were killed by it immediately.

PROF. LOCHHEAD thought that the continuance of the wash on the trees was important as a protection against fungous diseases, even if not necessary for the destruction of the scale. He was of opinion that making the mixture by slaking instead of boiling might do for the Aphis, but was not effective for the scale.

DR. FLETCHER was anxious that the question should be thoroughly tested, as, if slaking will do, a hundred people will make the wash by this easier process to one who will take the trouble to boil it for two hours.

MR. FISHER then referred to the Pear-tree Psylla. In February his man used lime slaked and applied without any sulphur; he put it on thick, as much as he could get to stick. The result was that the trees were perfectly cleared of the insect and of fungus, though the orchard had been condemned.

Mr. Macoun and he had experimented on a small orchard near Niagara which they treated with plain white-wash. Some trees they covered once, some twice and some three times. In the spring more scale was found under the white-wash than on the untreated trees! It seemed that the insect was actually protected against the severity of the winter by the white-wash.

This year at Burlington the Psylla was absent, though they had always had it for many years previously. No less than 400 dwarf Duchess pear trees were killed by it only a few years ago. At that time, unfortunately, he did not know that it could be controlled by kerosene emulsion, or the lime and sulphur wash. The latter should be applied between the middle of March and the middle of April. If applied in December the lime and sulphur wash injures the tree because the wood is not sufficiently matured and late in the spring it injures the buds.

MR. BALKWILL stated, in reference to the Pea-weevil, that it was very bad this year in some places about London, while some farms were quite free from it.

MR. EVANS said that it had entirely disappeared about Trenton; he thought that the exceptionally cold winter had killed the beetle.

DR. FLETCHER urged that now is the time to fight this insect while its numbers were reduced and it was comparatively weak; everyone should fumigate his peas and make a complete destruction of the weevil.

MR. FISHER, in reply to an enquiry, said that the New York Plum Scale had increased from neglect in many places; the severe winter had not affected it. The Oyster-shell Bark-louse was entirely killed by the lime and sulphur wash. Lime used alone has only a mechanical effect by causing the insect to fall off with it, but does not itself kill the louse.

He wanted to know whether there was any practicable remedy for Wireworms. Acres of melons had been destroyed by them in his district.

DR. FLETCHER advised double plowing-in early August and in September; Mr. Fisher replied that this would not be practicable in the case of tomatoes, but both Dr. Fletcher and Prof. Lochhead said that Wire-worms did not attack tomatoes, but were often very destructive in wheat fields and to other crops. In the case of melons Dr. Fletcher advised trapping the parent-beetles by means of poisoned potatoes; these should be raw, sliced and dipped in Paris green and water, and then scattered about the infested places. This would be of use as a protection for the future, but there was no known remedy that was practicable for the Wire-worms themselves nor for white grubs, the larvæ of June beetles, which are also root-feeders.

MR. FISHER said that it had been recommended to plough rye under where melons were to be planted on the supposition that the Wire-worm would find enough food in the rye and would leave the roots of the melons alone.

DR. FLETCHER replied that the theory was incorrect, as rye was distasteful to these worms and kept them away. If wheat or oats were ploughed under instead they would be attracted. A cause of the trouble in the case of melons was that the large quantity of manure employed served as a great attraction to the Wire-worms. The reason for the ploughing that he recommended was that the insect became mature in the second autumn after the eggs were laid; ploughing in August destroys them in the pupa state, and the repetition in September disturbs the beetles in the ground and by bringing them to the surface ensures the death of a large proportion.

MR. EVANS said that he had known acres of tomatoes to be destroyed by Wire-worms.

MR. FISHER stated that he had observed the same thing. He had also found that if tomatoes were sown early and well-grown in hot-beds before planting out, they were then large, over-grown and tender; if the weather should be unfavorable, the lower leaves became blighted. Much the same thing happened with potatoes which had grown rapidly. This year in his neighborhood the Colorado beetle had in many cases left the potato plants and attacked the tomatoes, causing much destruction; it had also been very bad on egg-plant.

DR. FLETCHER said that the Colorado beetle was worst of all on eggplant, very bad on potatoes and least injurious to tomatoes.

α

Fig. 2. Squash Bug.

MR. FISHER next referred to the Squash-bug (Fig. 2), commonly called the "Stink-bug" and sometimes "the Bishop-bug" (Anasa tristis). Though it had been abundant and very injurious for a long time, this year he had seen none. Last year it took three days to get 20 tons of pumpkins for his canning factory; this year 30 tons were procured in two hours-thanks largely to the absence of this bug. As a general rule it was difficult to grow pumpkins, owing to the destruction of the foliage by the Squash-bug. The striped Cucumber beetle was, however, as abundant and injurious as ever; he had been informed that it might be got rid of by watering with a solution of one pound of saltpetre in ten gallons of water.

DR. FLETCHER stated that in all his experience he had never known insects of all sorts so scarce as they were this year, and this was the case from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Other members from different parts of the country corroborated the statement.

REPORT OF THE COUNCIL.

The Council of the Entomological Society of Ontario begs to present its Annual Report for the year 1903-1904.

The fortieth Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of Ontario was held in Ottawa, on the 3rd, 4th and 5th of September, 1903. The day meetings were held in the commodious and comfortable rooms of the Ottawa Board of Trade which were kindly put at the disposal of the Society and for the evening meetings the large Assembly Hall of the Normal School was secured.

The meetings throughout were fairly well attended both by members of the Society and by citizens of Ottawa. Several members of the Montreal and Toronto Branches were present and added greatly to the interest of the meetings.

The reports of the various Directors of Divisions showed that good work had been done in different parts of the Province in observing injurious insects and distributing information concerning remedial treatment. Most of these reports were illustrated by specimens. The full report of the proceedings and the discussions at the sessions has already been published and distributed to the members of the Society. This was the Thirty-fourth Annual Report on practical and general entomology and was presented to the Honorable the Minister of Agriculture for Ontario in December last and was printed and distributed in March.

It contains 116 pages and is illustrated with 59 wood cuts and 5 plates; one of the Rev. G. W. Taylor, an active member of the Society for many years who has done excellent work in fostering the study of practical and systematic entomology in British Columbia and was at one time the honorary Provincial Entomologist. Four plates show the results of remedial treatment for the San Jose Scale carried on under Prof. Lochhead, the President. Besides the account of the annual meeting, the reports of Divisions and Branches, the sections and officers at London, and the President's Annual Address on "The Progress of Economic Entomology in Ontario," the volume contains papers on the injurious insects of the year by Prof. Lochhead, Dr. Fletcher, Messrs. C. Stevenson, A. H. Kilman and T. D. Jarvis; "The present condition of the San Jose Scale in Ontario," and "A key to the insects affecting the small fruits," by Prof. Lochhead; "The Entomological Record for 1903," a most useful and important contribution by Dr. Fletcher; "A menace to the Shade-Trees of London," and "The Great Leopard Moth," by Dr. Bethune; "A card system for notes on Insects," by A. F. Winn; "The Syrphide of the Province of Quebec," by G. Chagnon; "An interesting enemy of the Iris," and "Basswood, or Linden, Insects," by A. Gibson; "The food-habits of Hymenopterous Insects," by Dr. Fyles; "Collecting at Light in Manitoba," by A. J. Dennis; "Fly-tormentors in New Ontario,' by T. D. Jarvis; "Hunting for Fossil Insects," by Dr. S. H. Scudder; "Recollections of the past," by the late J. A. Moffat. There were also full reports of Dr. L. O. Howard's addresses on "The Transmission of Yellow Fever by Mosquitoes," and the work being carried on by the Washington Division of Entomology against the Cotton Boll Weevil. The volume closes with a biographical sketch of the Rev. G. W. Taylor and an obituary notice of the late Prof. A. R. Grote, one of the honorary members of the Society.

The Society regrets very much that the distribution of this Annual Report was so greatly curtailed owing to the destruction in the great Toronto fire of April 19th, of no less than 5,000 copies, together with all the plates and engravings used in its illustration. These copies were to have been bound

up with the report of the Ontario Fruit-Growers' Association and given to its members and to those of the Provincial Horticultural Societies.

The Canadian Entomologist has been regularly issued at the beginning of each month. The 35th volume was completed last December, and contains 352 pages illustrated with six full-page plates and fifteen original figures in the text. The contributors number sixty-one, a larger number than usual, and represent Canada, the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Luxemburg and Cuba.

During the greater part of the year meetings for the study of Entomology have been held on Saturday evenings, alternately with those of the Botanical and Microscopical Sections. Several very interesting and enjoyable excursions were made to places in the neighborhood of London by the entomologists and botanists and their friends. The Council regrets very much that owing to the removal of several of its most active members the Ornithological Section has not held any meetings during the past year, and the Geological Section has not been revived, though Dr. Woolverton continues to give lectures on Geology to the students of the Western University. It is a matter of much gratification that the Council have been able to lease the large and convenient room in the Public Library on Queen's Avenue, in which the annual meeting is now being held. The room in the Y. M. C. A. building occupied by the Society for the last eight years, was very inconveniently situated and had become too small for the steadily increasing library and collections. The removal was carefully and safely effected under the direction of Messrs. Bethune and Balkwill, and to them the thanks of the members are due for the labour they bestowed upon it and the excellent order in which the property of the Society is now to be found.

The Council desire to place on record their profound regret at the loss they have sustained through the death of Mr. John Alston Moffat, which took place on the 26th of February last after a prolonged illness. For fourteen years Mr. Moffat discharged the duties of Librarian and Curator of the Society with the greatest devotion and care. He was always ready to do everything in his power to further the objects of the society and to assist the members in their investigations and studies. His kindness and unfailing courtesy endeared him to all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance. He contributed many valuable papers to our magazine "The Canadian Entomologist," and to our annual reports to the Legislature of Ontario; his scientific attainments thus became widely known and his work in some sections of the Lepidoptera was much appreciated.

All which is respectfully submitted.

WM. LOCHHEAD,

President.

REPORT OF THE MONTREAL BRANCH.

Minutes of the 258th regular and 31st Annual Meeting held on the 9th of May, 1904, at the Natural History Rooms, University Street, Montreal. Minutes of the last regular meeting were read and confirmed, and the minutes of the previous annual meeting taken as read, and confirmed. The following members were present:

Messrs. Charles Stevenson, A. F. Winn, A. E. Norris, L. Gibb, A. Griffin, G. R. Southee, Geo. A. Moore, and Master K. R. Stevenson and Alfred Holden, visitors.

The President reported that Mr. Gibb's case had been filled and sent to St. John's School.